Pre-DOCSIS 3.0 rollout in South Korea hits 100Mbps

Those stuck with slow broadband connections have another reason to look across the Pacific with envy. Some South Korean cable Internet subscribers are now able to get 100Mbps connections thanks to deployment of pre-DOCSIS 3.0 hardware by cable operator ARRIS.

"We are pleased to announce this very successful deployment proving the technical ability of the ARRIS Wideband solution to deliver 100Mbps of service over an HFC network," said HCN Operational Director Jong-Myung Joo. "This deployment represents a big step toward meeting the Korean Ministry of Information and Communications' IT 839 strategy of building a converged network to deploy 100Mbps ubiquitous wideband service in Korea."

ARRIS has over 1.1 million video subscribers, many of whom also subscribe to the company's broadband service.

DOCSIS 3.0 is the successor to DOCSIS 1.1, which is currently used by almost all cable ISPs in North America. DOCSIS 2.0b was ratified as a standard, but never deployed in the US as ISPs preferred to wait for version 3.0.

The latest version the DOCSIS standard offers full support for downstream data speeds of up to 160Mbps and 120Mbps upstream via channel bonding, which allows it to use more than a single 6MHz channel to transmit data. It also offers full support for the next-generation IPv6 addressing scheme, and enhanced network management and security features. DOCSIS 3.0 also offers enough bandwidth for IPTV and other high-def video services.

With pre-DOCSIS 3.0 hardware reliably delivering speeds in excess of 100Mbps, it bodes well for the introduction of fully-compliant hardware in the latter part of 2007. Once the hardware becomes widely available, US cable companies will begin upgrading their networks to support 3.0. ABI Research estimates that just shy of 40 percent of cable customers will have DOCSIS 3.0 equipment in their homes by 2011, which means that those 100Mbps connections are still a ways off in North America.